


The Disease

by peacecast



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms
Genre: Death, F/M, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, Gore, Lovers To Enemies, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Murder, Other, Romance, Smut, Suicide, Survival, Underage Rape/Non-con, Zombie Apocalypse, dream - Freeform, epidemic, teenromance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:42:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29319588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacecast/pseuds/peacecast
Summary: Norah feels as if she's stuck in a dream when an odd disease tears through the world, leaving almost half the population in a strange coma. When they all wake up as flesh hungry monsters, including her twin brother Noah, she is left to navigate life and romance in this new world, while fighting against the undead and the living.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, this is a story featuring an apocalypse.  
> It does feature romance and possible (?) smut, as well as "Lovers to enemies" trope. 
> 
> TW: sexual assault/rape, suicide, murder, gore, and mental instability/illness
> 
> If you don't think you can handle some of these themes please do not read.

It all started with a cold, and that was all we thought it was, but it spread fast, and soon millions were sick. People were falling like flies, and one minute you were sitting in class, and the next, your the person in front of you was collapsing with exhaustion.  
It was a headache that slowly got more and more intense. Starting with a dull ache at the back of your head, then spreading through your bones, and then the pain would grow so strong and so constant that you wouldn’t be able to stand it any longer. The only relief coming from the few and scarce moments that your body was able to shut itself off.   
Every day in school, each class got smaller as it progressed, but no one talked about it. There wasn't a single news story or post on Twitter, and that was what I remembered had worried me. I felt this ache in my chest, but it was different, it was the feeling that something big and something dangerous was coming, and every day that ache grew, I knew that whatever that day was, it was getting closer .  
Across the world, record-breaking numbers of people were reported as fallen sick. Still, nothing, and everyone was going on with their lives as if this was normal. As if their family, friends, and neighbors weren't all stuck inside, unable to gather enough strength to move. Dark circles, forming under their eyes from nights full of restless sleep. Parents helping their kid's weak muscles bring water to their dry lips, and still it was “nothing”.  
Then it happened, my ache changed from a gnawing feeling deep in my chest to a racing heart and ragged breathing, it became a reality. Everyone who was sick dropped unconscious. No one was sure how or when it happened, but the people I talked to all agreed it was the same hour of the afternoon.  
Hospitals ran out of rooms, and we converted to using any other home or medical facility we could find, to try and store all the sick safely. There were so many, and we knew that if nothing changed soon, then we wouldn't be able to go on like this forever.  
News channels finally began to report on the incident, people were tweeting back and forth their panic and conspiracies. Every conscious mind was starting to feel my same ache, but it wasn't the same anymore. It wasn't waiting for something to happen and hoping it didn't. It was the acceptance that everything was going to be different, and no matter what, it was going to hurt.  
No family or home went untouched. The neighbor from down my street, who always made sure our can was out on trash day, was carried off. The kid whose mom passed away last year had to say goodbye to his dad, and a toddler was left with his cousins when both his parents fell sick, and my twin, Noah, was one of the first to get the cold. 

In the beginning, we hoped that whatever it was, it would pass quickly, but he was sick for months and barely able to move for most of them until he fell unconscious. In a way, I was glad he did because I hoped then that it would give him some relief from the pain.   
Me and him shared the same green eyes, but his would sparkle. When we were younger, people couldn't tell us apart until our hair began to grow in. We looked exactly like our father, but Noah was nothing like him, and I was jealous of that. If there were one thing I could change about myself, it would be how alike I was to my dad. Noah got all of our mom's kindness and good-nature, but I was stuck with the deficient set of genes.  
Our parents met when they were young, and their romance was like a plot straight from a movie. He was the kindest man she had ever met, and after their high school graduation, a wedding shortly followed. But, it only took two weeks past the wedding for my mom to realize he wasn't who she thought he was. Prone to bursts of anger, and dangerous emotional high and lows, he was unpredictable. During one of his frequent outbursts, he smashed our great grandmother's antique dishes into piles of ruined glass. When mom discovered that she was pregnant with Noah and me she hoped it would change him. Holding on to the hope that maybe things would get better, that maybe it could be like when they first met again.  
The day we were born he held her hand through it all, but only two days later and time for him to pick us up, he never showed. He lived the next few years with us when he was around, and when Noah and I were eight he shot himself at the breakfast table. Sometimes if it's quiet enough I can still hear the ringing in my ears from the gunshot and the echo of my mom's screams.  
She was never the same after that and left us to be tossed around between relatives and foster homes for years. We waited while she went through therapy, and we listened to her tearful apologies and empty promises that she was better and this time we could be a family again, but it was always the same, another relapse or meltdown. I lost hope after the third time and resigned myself to the truth, even though Noah never gave up. He was there every time, waiting with open arms to let her back into his life. I thought he was stupid for it, living like that was only going to hurt him more, but he didn't listen to my pleas for him to keep himself safe. He had always been like that, selfless.  
When mom was married our now stepfather she started to make real progress. Still, I couldn't look at her the same. In my eyes, she'd always be the woman who left us.  
When Noah first feel sick she was by his side the entire time, telling people it would only be a little longer until he was better, holding on to whatever hope was in reach. Sometimes when mom was in the shower and Noah was left alone, I would try to sit in there, but I found it almost impossible. It was too quiet, just Noah’s labored breaths and the steady hum of the ceiling fan. It left me alone with my thoughts, some of them too full of the and the rest, filled with the lies people feed themselves. I didn’t like to live by hope, because it was more often than not, false. I hadn't given up, but I wanted to be ready, for anything. 

The day everything went to hell we were at the hospital visiting Noah. Signing in at the front desk everything was quiet. People sat on benches holding whispered conversations, doctors walked through halls holding their files and ordering nurses about, nothing felt out of the ordinary. Then there were screams, we didn't hear them until they had echoed through the long hallways.  
A sea of nurses and doctors pushing patients crashed into the lobby, yelling for everyone to evacuate. We were pushed at from all sides, "What's going on?!" My mom shouted, at anyone who would listen, "Where is my son?!" No one answered, and they continued yelling orders back and forth through the crowd. Another wave of people crashed through us, and I knew it was no use trying to fight against it. I let myself get washed away and I was pushed out into the parking lot. I lost my mom and Derek during the chaos, so I hurriedly scanned the crowd for them. It was a lost cause, as there were so many people that even if they had been standing right next to me I wouldn't have been able to notice.  
A policeman was barricading the front doors and panic settled into my bloodstream. "What are you doing?" I shouted at him, "My brother is in there!" He ignored my pleas and walked away, lost in the sea of people. I banged against the doors, but it was no use. I refused to give up on Noah, I knew that if the roles had been reversed he would walk to the ends of the Earth for me.  
I asked every doctor I passed if they knew where my brother was, but every time the answer was the same. I walked around the building and tried every door I came across, but the answer was the same for that one as well. I felt like I had done everything I could, and that was when I found Joan. She had been one of Noah's nurses and she'd talked with my mom about him multiple times.  
She was in tears and talking to an officer who was taking notes in a small notebook.  
"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to calm down, so I can take your statement." He looked annoyed at Joan's seemingly endless stream of tears. "Okay... Okay." Joan took a deep breath, "We were doing our rounds like usual. I was checking on their fluid intake and Kate, who's the other nurse I work, or um worked with, but anyways she was taking their vitals." Kate choked up a little at the mention of Kate but continued her story, "Everything was normal, and Kate and I were joking around when all the monitors started going off. We thought at first we had accidentally done something, so we went to check our computers and uh-" She hadn't finished the sentence before she choked on another round of tears. "When you say all the monitors went off, what does that mean?" The officer looked bored as he wrote into the notebook. "It uh, it means that all of their hearts stopped." The officer's pen froze and he looked up, suddenly a lot more interested, "Their hearts stopped? You mean they all died?" Joan took a breath and nodded her head, "All at the same time." I gasped and quickly covered my mouth with my hand, what did this mean for Noah? "Let me get this straight, the patients died all at once? If they're dead why were we called here?" Joan sniffled into a tissue she'd been holding, but that couldn't stop the fresh stream of tears that decided to flow.  
When people talk about twins being connected it usually is a load of bullshit, like being able to read one another's mind or talking without saying a word, but I knew that I'd know if Noah had died. I would be able to feel it inside, I knew it.  
"Are you okay?" The officer looked uncomfortable with Joan's emotional state. She nodded and continued her story, "The computers said nothing was wrong with the monitors, so no one knew what was happening or what we were supposed to do. The rest of the hospital was reporting the same issue with the rest of the unconscious patients and so were the other facilities holding them. It had only been five minutes after the monitors went off that-" Joan held back her tears and breathed deeply, "That the monitors stopped, and reported back their heartbeats."  
"Hold on, don't you think this was a malfunction in your system?" the officer asked, but Joan shook her head. "It couldn't have been, because um because all of them began to make these noises that made me feel sick and cold all over. " The officer began to look much more interested and his pen was frozen hovering over the paper. "Kate said she would check the rooms, so we waited behind the desk while she did, and uh..." The officer interrupted, "Kate was the other nurse, right?" Joan nodded, "Uh, yes, she was." Tears welled up in her eyes, "When she went in it was only a few seconds before we heard her screaming." Joan was now breaking into sobs between every few words, "I ran in to check in on her, and they were ripping into her body. pulling her apart and eating her flesh." The officer's face turned pale and he looked like he was about to see his breakfast again, but this time on the sidewalk. My heart stopped for a second, how could anyone do something like that, let alone a room full of people?! The only explanation was that they weren't themselves, or that they weren't human at all. The officer finished the last notes with a shaky hand, "I need to go turn in this report immediately." He left a hysterical Joan standing alone. I made my way over to her and grabbed her hand, she took it gratefully. "Noah?" I whispered, and she shook her head. Now it was my turn to fill my lungs with deep breaths and Joan squeezed my hand. I wasn't sure how to comfort people, especially when all I wanted to be was alone with my thoughts. Noah was always better than I was at this, and I wished he was here more than anything. Joan's tears slowed and she let go to look at me, "Their eyes, Norah... They were cold, like they were alive on the outside but not inside. Before I could get out one of them gave me this." She pulled up her sleeve to reveal a long pink scratch up her arm, "There's something bad coming, and this is just the beginning." I nodded at her words before walking away.  
None of this could be real, these were things that happened in stories or dreams, not real life. Maybe if I pinched myself this would all go away? I knew it was stupid, but I was willing to try anything if it meant Noah was still okay. I lifted my hand, but I was interrupted by the sound of pounding that came from the other side of the glass hospital doors. I looked around but no one else around noticed that figure standing in the doorway. It was someone with dark hair and my same green eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora discovers her brother, but things aren't what they seem. It is a rocky introduction into this new world.

"Noah...?" The words had barely left my lips before I was running towards the glass doors. I couldn't believe it, hadn't Joan just told me he hadn't made it?  
I got to the doors and pressed my hands against the glass; it was warm from the sun's kiss. He lifted his hands and placed them on the other side of the glass. They were stained red, and grime hid under his fingernails. His skin was dull, but what caught my breath in my throat were his eyes. They'd lost their glow and sat lifeless on both sides of his face. It was Noah, but it was nothing like him. Even if his heart was still beating, he was dead.  
I could feel the vibrations of his pounding against the glass, and even though I knew he wasn't the same anymore, I couldn't imagine him doing the things that Joan had described. My brain rejected those thoughts and refused to let them sit in my head.  
There was a deep growl, and more "people" began approaching the doors. The pounding intensified as the noise grew. The people around me began to turn to see where the noise was coming from, "Don't worry, Noah, I'm going to come back for you." I whispered. More police arrived and were setting up barriers and tape all over the parking lot.  
I found my way to Derek, "Did you learn anything about Noah? I asked around, but no one knew a damn thing." I didn't need to use words for him to understand what the look on my face said. He pulled me into a hug. It felt oddly cold in his arms, but I had never really felt at peace in other people's embrace. I didn't like to rely on someone else's touch to feel safe.  
My mom had noticed I'd arrived, "Where's my Noah?" I shook my head, "I found Joan, but um..." Derek looked at me, and I nodded, and he sat down beside my mom and held her close. He whispered into her ear, "What?! No, this can't, Noah, he-" She interrupted her own words with sobs. "Let's get her home." He said as he picked her up and carried her towards our car. The ride home was silent except for the muffled wails and sobs that came from the passenger's seat. I looked out the window, trying to ignore the sound because it reminded me of the breakfast table. As we drove through the city, people walked around like normal, and the shop's windows were still lit up with open signs. Every few miles, we'd pass a building with police littered outside like ants at a leftover picnic. A few people stood behind the barricades and took photos, but the majority couldn't be bothered. Did they not realize what all this meant? Were they not worried about the family members and friends that were hungry for their flesh.  
When we got inside, Derek carried mom into their bedroom, the door slammed shut behind them, and I heard the lock click. It was followed by shouts, "Why did you ever make me put my baby in that damn place?! This is all your fault!" She screamed the words at him, and I could picture the finger pointed as well. When life got hard, it was easier to blame anyone other than yourself, right? There was a crash, the sound of a vase making contact with the wall. "I don't want fucking Norah!" Those were the last words I caught between the sound of crashing and swearing from Derek. I took that as my cue to get the hell out of there. I reminded mom too much of dad that I had become a walking reminder of her trauma.  
I sat on the porch swing, but I could still hear shouts through the walls. I knew the nosy bitch, Mrs. Sanderson, would check in pretty soon.  
I sat on the swing and rocked back and forth. I found myself lost in thought, which was interrupted by the sounds of screams. This time it was from down the street. I looked a few houses down and saw a little girl stumbling over a deflated bouncy house. Joan, Noah's nurse, was stumbling towards her. Without thinking, I rushed down the stairs and across the street towards the two of them. "Joan! What are you doing?" I shouted at her, she turned to look at me, and her eyes were dull and lifeless. The scratch on her arm was now glowing a dark red. She reached out and tried to grab at me, her teeth snapping. I pushed her away, and she stumbled over the folds of the bouncy house but regained her balance and returned to creeping towards me. I knew that if I let her get close, she'd do the same to me as what happened at the hospital. I looked for anything I could find to stop her, and I noticed a baseball bat in the grass, abandoned after an afternoon's game. The little girl made a whimpering cry, and Joan turned back towards her. I made a run for the bat, and just as Joan reached for the girl, I hit right in the back. It made a painful thud, and Joan stumbled but kept her balance. So, I hit her again and again. I kept hitting her until she was knocked to the ground, unable to get back up. Even then, I just kept hitting her. I was so angry that I completely lost control. Everything else around me faded away. I'm not sure how long I was like this, but I was snapped back to reality by the sound of clapping. I looked up to see a man in a military uniform. He stood in front of soldiers holding guns and green trucks. Half the street had gathered outside, and I hadn't noticed. He stepped forward and dropped his cigarette into the grass, crumbling it underneath his boot, before reaching his hand forward for me to grab. I ignored it and stumbled onto my feet. My hands, which were covered, in blood, left stains of red handprints.  
Everyone's face was covered, in a layer of disgust and shock, except the General's, whose lips were still pulled into a slight grin. I hated how at peace he looked with what I had just done.  
"So how'd this one turn?" He asked, kneeling by Joan's mangled body. He was looking over her arms and legs as if her head wasn't smashed in a few inches away. Some of the others that had gathered around were turning away so they wouldn't faint and covering their mouths so they wouldn't let anything out.  
"I'm not sure." I finally said my voice was hoarse, and I wasn't sure I was even the one who'd said that. "She wasn't sick like the rest.", I added. "Ahh, I found it.", the General said, moving Joan's sleeve up to reveal the long scratch she'd shown me earlier, but now it still glowed but was now beginning to fade. "She's had that scratch since hours ago, but nothing happened. No cold or coma, nothing.", I said. "That was only the first wave. ", he turned to address the whole crowd, "Things around here are going to change, and from now on, you're reporting to me. We avoid the dead at all costs, that includes scratches and bites unless you want to end up like this little lady." He put his boot on one my Joan's legs. I didn't like him, but I knew he was right. Things had changed, and we needed to change with them if we wanted to make it in this world.  
The sound of a gunshot interrupted his speech, and I knew where it was coming from instantly. I made eye contact with Derek, who had joined us at some point, and we both turned and began running back towards the house. Derek slammed the door open so hard it left a doorknob-shaped dent in the wall.  
"Now what the hell is going on here?!" I heard the General shout from behind us. When we got to my parent's room, the door was locked. Derek slammed into it, and it flew open, revealing my mom lying in a puddle of her blood. She was shot right through the heart. "No, no, no, Eve!" Derek screamed as he fell right beside her and pulled her into his arms. "Sir, we are going to need to get rid of this body before she turns.", the General reached down and put a hand on his shoulder. "Stay away from me! You're not going to lay a hand on her!", as he was shouting at the men to stand back, my mom began to move. I knew what was about to happen, but before I could react she was taking a bite out of Derek's neck. "Derek!" I screamed. I tried to get to him but was pulled back by one of the men. As I was pulled from the room, I saw them trying to get my mom down, and in her eyes was the same lifeless look.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Norah is struggling to sleep without the haunting nightmares creeping into her head, so when she decides to clear her head under the night sky she is faced with a possible future enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter :/ I just didn't think it would make sense to add anything else into this one.

I spent the night tossing about, unable to sleep because no matter how hard I tried, all I saw when I closed my eyes was my mom biting into Derek's throat or the way Noah's eyes no longer showed him in them. I woke up, drenched in my sweat, full of memories and fear. My breathing quickened, and my heart was eagerly trying to beat itself out of me. I wiped a hand across my forehead and pulled at my hair that hung loose behind me as if I could pull out the bad inside.   
When I had gained the courage to move my feet onto the cold ground, I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cabinet. Making my way to the sink, I turned it on and set the glass underneath the stream. When the water reached the brim, I moved the glass aside and continued to let the cool water run. Letting its soothing touch move across my shaky hands. I splashed some onto my flushed face, waking up my senses.   
I lifted my head and looked out the window, noticing how bright the sky was. Usually, I was never able to see the stars like this. It was funny how bright something was able to shine when no one was hurting it.   
Walking to the front door, I undid the locks and stepped out onto the porch. Sitting in the swing, I gently rocked back and forth. Allowing the cold air and wind to blow my hair around. Noah and I used to spend hours on this swing, seeing who could rock it the hardest. 

The street lights weren't working, but I was still able to notice a dark figure moving from across the street. "Hey, Kid.", the General stepped closer towards the porch steps. "Don't call me that." I stood quickly and moved backward. Anything he had to say, I didn't want to hear it. The General had taken over the neighborhood before had a chance to realize what was going on. Tall gates meant to keep us safe now locked us in and kept any news from the outside away. Our guns were confiscated, and strict rules were regularly enforced by his soldiers. "Listen, believe it or not, I am here to help you." he set his foot on the first step, and I edged closer towards the door, "You don't need to be afraid." He climbed the last step and was now only a few feet away. I opened the screen door and slammed it shut. My fingers worked as quickly as they could to turn all the locks. I ran to the back door and made sure it was still shut as well.   
When I was confident that there was no way he could get in, I fell onto the couch. A kitchen knife was clutched, in my hand, my knuckles turning white. I wasn't sure when I'd fallen asleep or when the General had left, but I woke the next morning still on the couch with a blanket laid across my lap.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life settles in the compound, and Norah find herself reconnecting with someone from her past. Though Norah isn't safe, and trouble takes hold when she finds a light left on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depiction of sexual assault in this chapter!!! Please don't read if you're sensitive to this topic or 13 and under.

Every day was a routine. It felt like I was stuck on a carousel, turning around and around forever.   
There wasn't much someone could do behind locked gates, but we made the most of it. Only the soldiers were allowed to leave the compound, and they kept news about what was out there secret. Some of the "people from the neighborhood spent their time going through training with the soldiers, but none of them had been trusted to go on a run yet.   
To preserve supplies, we gathered all the food from around the neighborhood and worked in shifts to organize and ration the food. Other ladies organized events because they thought it might be nice to have something to distract us. They had good intentions, but I didn't see the point. Why were we still trying to make life "as normal as possible"? Nothing about this was normal.   
I would have never gone to any of them if it weren't for my friend, Vivian. She'd been my best friend my whole life and had made it her mission to make sure I was okay. Whenever I felt like falling off the deep end, she was there. She was gorgeous, with auburn-colored hair that fell just below her shoulders and bright blue eyes. When we stood next to each other, it was like I was invisible, which I think was one of the reasons we got along so well.   
She and Noah were close while he was here, and everyone had been waiting for the day that they started dating. Before all this, I did nothing other than school and seeing Viv. Now she was dragging me to various dinners and forcing me to volunteer places. I tried to complain as much as I could because I knew she was hurting about Noah, and she needed to feel like she was useful.   
"Did you hear about the dinner tonight?" Viv asked as we walked back from our shift at the storage room. "No, I didn't." I'd already gone to a bbq earlier this week, and I hated being out late at night. All I wanted was to go home and lock my doors, "You know how I feel about this shit, and the dead haven't changed that." She looked down at her feet, and we continued walking. It was only a few minutes before she decided to bring it back up, "Norah, this won't be like the rest! Moses Winters will be there." She giggled and nudged my shoulder. Moses was from our high school, and he hadn't been very popular, but he could have been if he wanted to. He was one of the best-looking guys I'd ever seen, like at a celebrity level. Most of the girls were obsessed with him, but he kept to himself. His hair was chocolate brown, and its curls framed his forehead. He was taller than most of the people who walked down the hall beside him, and he carried a book everywhere he went. He never cared about anyone around him, and sometimes I'd catch myself staring during class. It was just something about him that I'd never seen before.   
"Maybe I'll go, maybe." Vivian laughed and pulled me into a hug. 

When we got there, the room was already crowded; and we squeezed through people to grab a drink. I stayed behind Vivian and tried to stay as unnoticed as possible. I decided that I'd wait around for a while and sneak out when she was distracted. Someone grabbed Viv and pulled her away. I stood awkwardly alone by the drinks table. Scanning the room for anything to save me, my breathing quickened, and I felt my hands beginning to shake. I hated when this happened. My whole body would go numb, and it became impossible to think clearly.   
I felt a hand tap on my shoulder. I jumped and turned to face Moses Winters. "Hey," he said, "I'm sorry if I scared you." He looked worried, and I knew that it was most likely because I looked like a scared puppy. "You were all alone, so I figured you could use some company." I laughed nervously, "I looked that miserable?" He grinned back, "A little." His eyes crinkled when he smiled, and they were so blue it felt like I was getting lost in the ocean, floating aimlessly into nothing. I felt a shiver run through my spine when he looked at me, and I'd never been good at conversations, but I felt like my mouth was being held shut. "Look, I know we've never actually talked before, but I'm uh- sorry about your family." He ran a hand through his hair and looked down at his feet. "Oh, well, thank you. That means a lot..." My voice trailed off. I didn't like it when people gave me sympathy or their "apologies"; usually, they didn't mean it, and it wasn't like it was their fault.  
I forced a small smile at him, our worlds had always been separate, and they still felt miles apart. I didn't know too much about him, other than he'd bounced around between foster homes most of his childhood. I'd overheard some girls in the locker room saying he had scars to prove it. I understood having a shit life growing up, but I'd never had gotten hurt like that. My mom took the brunt of it, and she'd hide Noah and me in the closet when our dad was in a rage. "Norah, I wanted to say that um-" before he could finish Vivian, came up from behind and grabbed his arm. "Moses! I didn't know you were going to be here!" She giggled. "I should go." I nodded a goodbye to the both of them, and Moses looked conflicted between Viv and me, but she grabbed onto him and pulled his attention towards her. 

I found my way outside and into the fresh air, and I took in a deep breath, letting it sit in my lungs. The silence was refreshing, and I welcomed its company.   
I turned the corner onto my street, and I noticed a light on in my window. I instantly put my hand to the knife in my pocket. Holding it tight in my grip, I slowly crept up the porch steps as silently as possible. The front door that I was sure I locked was open. The smell of cigarettes was pungent, and I followed it to the living room. When I walked in, I saw the General sitting in the armchair with smoke in one hand and a bottle in the other. He got up when he saw me, "What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded. "Slow down there, just making sure everything was okay." His words slightly slurred together, "You know it's dangerous for a girl to be out alone this time of night?" He stepped closer, and I moved backward. With every step I took, he took two. My back hit the wall, and the smell of his breath was thick with alcohol. "What do you want from me?" I barely whispered, and my throat dry. "Shh." He stuttered, bringing his finger to my lips. "Get off of me..." I croaked, trying to push him back. He pushed against me harder, and I knew that bruises would replace his hands tomorrow.   
He grabbed at my clothing, ripping it off my body. My body began to go limp when I knew it was useless to try and push him off. His hands felt free to roam without limits. I whimpered in pain, but he continued. My mind started to go blank, trying to block all of this out that was possible. When it was over, I rolled onto my side, and I felt a single tear roll down my cheek, and it left a mark on much more than just the sheets.


	5. Chapter 5

I woke to snores the next morning, and I turned to see the General laying on the other side of the bed. Memories of last night flooded back into my head, filling me with regret and reopening the cuts inside me. I got out of bed as quietly as possible, tiptoeing to the bathroom. I shut the door and locked it behind me. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't recognize the girl staring back at me. Her skin was painted with reminders of her worth, and dark circles lay below bloodshot eyes. Her shoulders carried weight, and no matter how hard she tried, nothing could scrub away the shame.   
The hot water poured over me, covering me like a warm blanket. I hugged my chest against my knees and tried to forget it all. Hoping that the water would wash me away like it did the rest of the dirt and grime.   
The stream of water quieted to the gentle plop of the leaky faucet, and I wiped the fog from the mirror, revealing a pair of green eyes flooded with a pool of tears. "No more." I told myself, "You're stronger than this, Norah Sinclair." Today I decided that no matter what happened, I'd be better.   
When I left the bathroom, now tearless and changed, the scent of eggs and coffee filled my head. The General was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping from Derek's mug. I clenched my fists, using all my willpower to stay calm. Not today, because I needed him. "I'm going to be staying here for a little while." He said, "A pretty girl like yourself shouldn't be alone. You'll be safe. You can trust me." I stared blankly at him. I was never going to be safe, not when what I was trying to hide from was always with me.   
Days became weeks, and weeks turned into months, and still, nothing changed. We had no news from the outside world, and I lost hope that any other camps had made it. There were supposed to be hundreds scattered across the East Coast, but I was thinking that maybe the General was only telling us what we'd wanted to hear.   
Working in the storeroom was filling up any spare time I had. Anything to make me forget my thoughts was welcome. It also allowed me to make sure Viv and her family never went without food. Her mom was pregnant, and Viv was left to take care of her younger brother and sister. They'd never accept food from me, so I took some out of my rations and slipped it into theirs.   
The compound wasn't going to last, and I knew it. The supply groups were bringing back less and less every time because any of the areas still safe to search had already been ransacked. 

I stood behind the counter, writing the inventory in a small notebook. The bell on the door rang, and I looked up to see Moses Winters. I had been avoiding him since the night we talked, and he looked different. He seemed older, rugged, and the look on his face told me he had a lot to think through all the time. "Hi, Norah." He walked towards me. "Moses." I nodded my head and closed the book. "Where have you been?" He asked, "I haven't seen you in months."   
"I've been busy."  
"Really? How busy can you be around here?" He laughed, and the lines around his eyes crinkled. "I haven't seen you around here either," I said, my tone accusing. "I've been busy." His smile slowly fell. "Really? How busy can you be around here?" I grinned slightly, and he followed my lead. His smile still made my stomach jump. "You know, if you let some people around here help you, then you wouldn't be so busy all the time." His eyes twinkled, and I'd forgotten how blue they were. "Don't you have anywhere to be?" Setting the book into a cabinet. He disappeared behind a shelf, "No, just grabbing some things. You know, we never got to finish our conversation. You left so fast." I opened my mouth to reply, but I was interrupted by the sound of shouts from outside. I heard the General's voice and knew he was most likely drunk and throwing a fit. "You need to go," I told Moses, this wasn't going to end well, and I knew it would be better if it was just me in the line of fire.   
The door swung open, and the General stumbled inside, "Norah!" He roared. "Yes?" It would be better if I tried to stay calm, and I had enough bruises to prove it. "Where the hell have you been?!" He shouted while knocking things off the shelves. "Where I am every day." I made sure the cabinet doors were shut tight because I didn't want to rewrite any of that. "You bitch, don't talk to me like that." His breath reeked of alcohol, and he swung his arms straight into another shelf. He grabbed my throat with his other hand, but someone cleared their throat, interrupting what he was going to do next. The General turned and saw Moses standing across the room. He let me go and turned to walk out the doors. When he was gone, I crouched down and began picking things up off of the floor. "Why are you letting him treat you like that?" Moses asked, leaning down to help me. "What else am I supposed to do?" My voice cracked, "I can't beat him, I don't have any family left, and I don't have a lot of options these days." Moses grabbed my hand and gently squeezed it, "Norah, you're so much better than this. He's a bastard, and everyone can see that." I pulled away quickly and stood up, "Don't judge me, Moses Winters. You don't know anything about me or what I've gone through." I was furious. He had no right to tell me what I deserved because this was my life and not his. "I need to go." I rushed out the door, letting it slam shut behind me. "Wait, Norah!" He shouted after me. I didn't stop or turn around because I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep going if I did.   
When I got home, the air was thick with smoke, "Norah! Get in here." The General's words were barely able to leave his lips. I slowly walked into the room, and I knew that it wasn't worth fighting.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's another short one, and I might not upload for a few days but I have a lot lined up.

"Norah!" Moses shouted from the steps of the storeroom. People wondered why she stayed with the General, but now Moses was pretty sure he knew why. So, he grabbed what he needed and left because if Norah didn't want his help, there wasn't much else he could do. He knew she was independent and stubborn, so if she needed his help, then he'd have to wait.   
Moses got back to the house where most of the guys were staying while being trained. It reeked of cigarettes and alcohol, and Moses had to step over unconscious men lying across the floor. He pulled a book from his bag and sat in the only clear corner.   
Most of the guys were older, and Moses was a puzzle to them. He didn't smoke or drink and spent most of his time reading or writing in his notebooks. They would have all been laughing at him if they didn't have so much respect for him. For the few times that they'd gone out past the wall, Moses had kept their group together. He never left anyone behind and kept a cool head always. He'd saved a few of the guy's lives on multiple occasions and he never acted cocky. He said what he thought and the men listened.   
Like Norah, he knew the walls weren't going to last, so he did what he could to prepare. Help wasn't coming, no matter what the General kept telling them, and Moses was certain that the General knew the truth. Some of the people were catching on, but they refused to believe it, and they called it hope. When in reality they were only digging their own grave.   
He sat in the corner trying to read his book, but he couldn't stop thinking about Norah. He'd seen her stand up for herself multiple times, so why couldn't she do it now? She wasn't happy, and he could see it in her eyes. Moses loved to read, but Norah was different. She wasn't like any of his other books, she didn't have a beginning, middle, or an end. Her book was endless and confusing. It was one of the ones that make you keep your light on all night because every time a chapter ends, you can't help but be left with the feeling of needing more. Moses shook his head and kept reading.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The camp wasn't going to last forever, and Norah knew that. She just didn't think it was going to happen so soon.

When I got up the next morning, the sun was already peeking through the blinds of the room. Sitting-up, my body ached, and when I moved my sleeve, purple bruises polka-dotted my skin. I got up as quickly as possible, careful not to push against the cuts when pulling up my jeans.   
The air felt fresh when I took a deep breath on the porch, but something felt off. I couldn't pinpoint what it exactly was, but I felt like how I did the days leading up to the day we visited Noah. The air was holding its breath, and I waited for it to let go.   
Then I heard the screams. At first, it was just one, then another, and another. I ran towards the noise, and it led me to the front gate that was now knocked down, and hundreds of the dead were stumbling into the compound. The guards were shooting into the massive crowd, not caring to look at what they were hitting. Their guns brought down a lot of the dead, but some of the stray bullets left their mark in the living as well. It was a mess, and I knew I needed to get out of there as soon as possible. These people weren't going to make it a day outside the gates, and I wasn't going to risk my life for them. Some of the crowd had brought kitchen knives or used sticks to try and fight back, but for the most part, they tried to run while the dead grabbed onto their flesh. I grabbed at my knife in my pocket and changed my course back to the house. The General was bound to have something hidden that I could use.   
I ran through the streets and saw the Generals piling into their vans, "What the hell are you doing?" I shouted. "Getting out of here! This place is lost." One of them yelled back. I wasn't surprised that they were packing up and leaving. In this world, it was all about survival now, and they were only protecting themselves. "What about the people?" Some of the guys shook their heads, and a few laughed, "They were never going to make it, and I'm not putting my ass on the line for them." The car drove off and left me standing alone in the street. The words stung my ears with anger when I heard his last sentence, but it also stung my heart because hadn't it been me only a few minutes ago who turned my back on the same people with those very words.   
I turned the corner and found Vivian. She was crying and holding her mother in her arms. The two of them sat covered in blood, and her mom's arm hung limply off Vivian's leg. "Viv..." I said, over the echo of groans from the dead, "We need to get out of here." Vivian looked up, and her eyes were red with tears, "No, I can't leave. She needs a doctor. Please, we need to get her to a doctor." Her body began to rock back and forth with grief. "Viv, she's gone, and we need to leave. Come with me, please!" I practically begged her. Looking around, I saw more of the dead begin to appear around the corners, and I needed to get Viv out of here quickly. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. We took off running, "Where are the twins?" I shouted as we navigated past mobs of people. "I- uh, they're..." She stopped moving, and it yanked me to a stop as well, "Are they?" She nodded her head, and a fresh flow of tears began pouring down her face, "All of them are gone." I grabbed her hand again and broke back into a run, "It's okay, but we've got to keep moving." We got to my front steps, and I slammed open the front door, the knob hitting the same dent that Derek had made. "Grab cans from the kitchen and anything else we can use," I said, giving the order to Vivian, who quickly grabbed a bag from the hall and threw open the cabinets, stuffing cans into the open pocket. I took off to the bedroom, ripping apart drawers, looking through jacket pockets, and I even grabbed at the floorboards, scuffing my nails to see if one of them was loose.   
I heard a car through the window, and it came to a stop outside the house. I got up and ran back to Vivian, "Who is it?" She asked me, her eyes wide with fear. "I don't know." I walked to the window and looked out, the van door flew open, and the General sat in the back holding a large gun. "Norah?!" He shouted. My heart started to beat, and I choked back vomit. This was my chance to get away and start something far away from him, but could I make it without his help? The indecision tugged at my brain, and I tried to think as fast as I could. "Are we going to answer?" Vivian broke my thinking. Maybe I could have made it on my own, but I needed to take care of Vivian, she had no one, and I owed it to her. I hated the part of me that wanted to leave her behind and run but couldn't. "Let's go," I said finally, and we hurried out the front door. "There you are!" He said, reaching out his hand and helping Vivian into the back. He held out his hand again for me, but something held me back. Only a few moments ago, I was sure I couldn't leave Viv behind, but now not so much. "Norah, come one! We don't have all day." The General's tone grew angry, and I saw the dead closing in on us, but that wasn't what changed my mind when I finally decided to get into the car. I turned to look for a way to get through the crowd, positive I was going to run, but then I saw Moses Winters, sitting behind the wheel and staring straight into my eyes. I jumped in, and the doors slammed behind me. The car took off roaring, and we drove through the crowd out past the gates.   
The people left standing shouted after the car and tried to catch up, "We should stop." Moses said, but the General shook his head. "It's every man for himself now." I noticed the hurt in Moses's expression, but he kept moving. People I'd known my whole life, laid dead in the street or stumbled along, now one of the crowd. "You said you were going to protect us." I spoke up, "You said you were going to protect them, and now they're dead. You lied to those people and told them they were safe while you watched the dead tear them apart." He turned to look at me, "That place was going to fall, and it was inevitable." I knew my face gave me away because the General smirked, "I can see it in your eyes that you thought it too." I knew he was telling the truth, but couldn't the truth be wrong sometimes? 

We drove on in silence for hours, and I stared out the window watching the buildings fly past. So many things had changed in only months. Buildings I'd grown up with were crumbling to nothing. Was that what I looked like inside? Was I just another building built only so that it could fall? "Norah," Vivian whimpered. "What?" I snapped. I knew it wasn't her fault, but I couldn't listen to any whining right now. "I don't feel good. Everything is so hot, and I, um..." Her voice trailed off, and I turned quickly. Her temperature was burning up, and her cheeks flushed red with fever. "We need to stop!" I shouted at Moses. The General woke from his nap confused, and he sat up straight as soon as he saw me kneeling over Vivian. I stroked her hair from her face, "Please stay with me." I whispered. "She has a fever, doesn't she?" The kid in the front asked. I nodded, "Does that mean something?" I asked. He nodded, "I've seen it before. We've got to get rid of her before she turns." He reached to grab his gun. "Stop!" Moses said, pulling the guy's hands away from his belt, "No one is shooting anyone." I nodded gratefully at Moses, and he gave me a sad smile. "Norah, am I going to die?" Vivian tried to choke the words out from her sore throat. "Shh, everything is going to be okay." I tried to muster the most soothing voice I could. She looked up, and I could see all the pain behind her blue eyes, "It's okay, I'm not scared." I felt tears beginning to push at my eyes, "Viv, you can't leave me. You're all I have." Her weak hand laid itself on top of mine, "Don't lose yourself, promise me?" I nodded quickly. Vivian's eyes looked like the sky, and when they closed for the last time, I wasn't sure I could go on any longer.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Norah says goodbye, and encounters an odd experience during life on the road.

We buried Vivian early the next morning, and I laid a fresh bunch of flowers I picked on the mound of dirt that hid her from me. I looked at the dirt beneath my fingernails, not wanting to remove the last remnants of her from myself when Moses crouched beside me. Together we sat in silence until I cleared my throat, "Everything about this world is so fucked up, and the only thing that's changed is death. We can't even escape it anymore. People have always been like this. No one's turned because of this disease; it's always been in us. My dad had it in him, the darkness. I have it too, and I'm scared that I won't be able to hold it back any longer." A small pool of tears gathered in my eyes, and I bit my lip, trying to keep them from running over. I wasn't sure why I was telling Moses these things, but I needed someone to listen, and some deep part of me trusted him.   
Moses took a deep breath, "Norah, you're not your father. You can't change what you're born with, but you can change what you use it for." "I turned and stared straight into his eyes, "You're a good person, Moses Winters. One of the only good people left, and you don't deserve any of this, and yet you're still here. I'm sorry that you're paying for our sins." I stood up and walked away. 

We drove on for days, only stopping to search buildings for supplies. We slept in the car and took turns driving all through the night because we were still too close to the previously densely populated areas and didn't want to get caught in another herd.  
Our ammo supplies grew less and less every day, so we resorted to using knives for the dead. I was better with my knife than with a gun because every time I held one in my hands, I could hear my mom's screams ringing in the wind. Moses tried teaching me how to shoot, but no matter how hard I tried to block it out, I couldn't.   
I kept to myself mostly, but I could always feel the General's eyes staring a hole through the back of my head. He never let me out of his sight, and at night I'd lie awake waiting for him to lose sight of me, but he never did. Moses and the other kid tried to make the most of things, but I refused to make conversation with either of them. I didn't want to have another friend because I'd rather bury a stranger.   
We drove down a street when we passed an old convenience store. The front of it was rundown, and there was no sign of the dead outside of it. I jumped out of the van. My gun in my back pocket, just in case. Using a crowbar, we pried the front doors open. Inside was dark, and it smelt like rotting food or bodies. I couldn't tell. "Alright, let's split up and meet outside in 10 minutes. If you run into trouble, shout, and get the hell out of here." The General gave us the instructions he always did, and I took off down one of the canned food aisles. Moses followed behind me, and I knew he'd try to ask me about how I was or try to start some sort of small talk. I wasn't in the mood, so I walked faster, hoping he'd catch the hint.   
The sound of a footstep ahead of me caught my attention, and I held up my hand to signal Moses to stop walking. I turned, and his face looked confused, so I lifted a finger to my lips before turning back around and tiptoeing forward. I signaled for him to go around the other side of the shelf, and he nodded. I continued walking when I heard a woman's voice, " Put your knife down. I don't want to hurt anyone." I turned the corner to see a woman who looked like she hadn't been able to clean herself in months, pointing a gun at me. "I don't have anything valuable," I told her. I knew she was scared by the way the gun was shaking in her hands.   
What did I think she was before all of this? Probably only worked at this shop on the weekends, going to college the rest of the week. Studying to become a nurse or a doctor, she could have saved so many lives, and here she was about to lose her own.   
The General always told me to never go into anything without a backup plan, and at this moment, I was never more aware of the weight of my gun in my back pocket.   
I nodded slowly at the lady who still shook, and I bent down to lay my knife on the tiled floor. Standing back up, I slowly reached my hand behind me and made contact with the cool gun. I didn't want to have to kill this woman, and there was probably something I could have done without killing her, but a part of me screamed to feel the weight of the trigger against my finger, to feel the shock of it firing race through my muscles. She looked me in my eyes, hers were so full of fear, and I hated it. I hated that it looked exactly like me, so I pulled the gun out in front of myself and pointed it straight at her head. My finger pulled back, and the bullet was released to dance through the air, marking itself into the woman's head. As soon as I saw her body collapse onto the floor, the realization of it all hit me, "I don't know why I did that..." My eyes blinked rapidly, and I dropped the gun onto the floor. It fell into a pool of blood that was running into the cracks of the tile. "Norah!" I heard Moses's voice shout, and he raced around the corner. "It happened so fast, and I- I don't know why I did it." Moses held onto me, "Did what? What are you talking about?" I turned to look at where the woman had fallen, but nothing was there but dirt-stained tile. "Let's go," I told Moses. I picked up my gun and hurried into another aisle.


	9. Chapter 9

Driving down an old road, we caught sight of an abandoned warehouse, "Let's stop there." The General announced, and the rest of us gathered our bags and stuffed our guns into our pockets. "Looks like there's only a few dead in the front," Moses said when he joined us from around the other side of the van, "but we can't take any chances. Everyone should be on high alert with the size of this warehouse." I nodded, but the General grunted, "I say what goes here, buddy. It looks fine to me; let's split up and try to cover as much ground as we can." The General and kid immediately split from Moses and me, but the two of us held back. "It's too quiet." I whispered to Moses, "There has to be something coming." He nodded in agreement.   
We stuck together and slowly walked through the busted side door. Our flashlights showed us shelves knocked over, and the ones left standing had a thick layer of dust. Something about those shelves bugged me, but I couldn't figure out what.  
We continued walking until we stumbled into the General, and the kid joined us a few minutes later. His bags were overflowing, "We hit the jackpot!" He held up a can of peaches, and the General grabbed it from him. "Make sure to grab as much as you can carry." He walked away down another aisle. I placed my gun back in my pocket, and I opened my pack. Moses followed my example, "Might as well get what we can, but stay alert." He whispered as we filled our bags with the cans and supplies.   
I opened a box that was full of chocolate bars, "I can't remember the last time I've had something sweet!" I laughed, and Moses grinned. It felt good to see him smile, and it left butterflies in my stomach. I heard footsteps from behind, and I flew to look, but there was nothing there. "What is it?" Moses asked, pulling his knife out. "I thought I heard something, but I'm just paranoid." I shook it off and continued scanning through the shelves. I came across another box covered in dust, and I looked down the row to see that they all were. It finally hit me, and I turned to look over at the shelves that were knocked over. None of them had any dust covering the boxes, "Moses, someone was here and recent." He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door, but we were stopped by the sound of shouting. "Get the fuck out!" The kid screamed as he ran towards us from the exit, and behind him was a herd of the dead. They were groaning and stumbling towards us. "Run!" I screamed, and we all did just that.   
We passed a row, and the General joined us. Running through a door, we found ourselves cornered in a courtyard surrounded by a chain fence. Turning around, I saw that the herd blocked us from going back the way we came, "We've got to climb!" I ran towards the fence and began scrambling up the side of it. Moses followed, then the kid, and lastly, the General. I made it to the other side, and I dropped down, falling on my back. Moses was close behind, and we waited on the other side for the rest. "Hurry!" The General shouted as the herd had begun to gather underneath the fence and grabbed at the General's feet. The kid tried to climb faster, but he only became more unstable with his climbing. The fence began wobbling as they both tried to beat each other over to the other side. "Stop grabbing him!" I screamed as the General pulled at the kid's legs again. "You can both make it!" Moses agreed. More dead gathered, and the fence began to tilt with all the weight and movement, "For Christ's sake!" The General muttered, and he grabbed the kid's leg and tossed him back into the herd. I stood on the other side watching the General, safely, climb over while the other was torn apart. When he made it over, he stared into our shocked faces, "Don't look at me like that! You know I had no other option." Moses almost growled, "You know damn well you could have both made it." The General began to laugh, "One of us was going to die, and I'm damn glad it wasn't me." He whistled on his way back to the van. 

Deep inside of the General poison grew, and it had always been there, long before the dead ever walked. It hid inside, waiting to be watered and fed, secretly growing over the years. The General wasn't even aware it was there, hid so well he'd never realized until it was too late.   
"Nora," Moses whispered. The three of us laid around a dying campfire, and smoke swirled through the sky, polluting the air. The General's snore continued, so Moses continued to crawl towards my sleeping bag. "What?" I whispered back. If the General was to wake to see the two of us whispering, who knew what he'd do or what he was even capable of doing. "We need to get out of here," Moses whispered finally, once we were both sure it was clear to continue. My stomach turned because I'd been dreading the day Moses would bring this up ever since the last incident. Id wanted nothing more than to leave the General, but he was dangerous, and who knew what would happen if he caught the two of us trying to escape. "I-, I don't know..." The General had been with me since the beginning of everything. Would I even have the strength to leave him? "It's only a matter of time before he pushes one of us into the line of fire! Come on, Norah, I know you're stronger than this." The words cut deep because Moses thought so much of me. What would he do when he found out I was only ever a fake? I wasn't good underneath it all, but he was.   
"How do I know I'm strong enough for this world?" I asked, my eyes staring into his. "You don't need to be strong enough. I'll hold you up when you're not. " Moses grabbed my hand, "I could never ask you to do that, Winters." His eyes were intense, and I could see how sincere he was about this, "I'm not asking. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe." My heart began to beat faster, and I thought it might leap out from inside me, "Promise?" He grinned, "I promise." He leaned in closer, and his lips grazed mine. The touch was electrifying. Our foreheads leaned against one another, and his cold palm ignited with my hot cheek.   
His touch left a trail of fire along my body, and it sent my senses into overdrive. "Kiss me," I whispered, my lips hungry for his. He grinned before obliging, and we spent the night tangled in one another's arms. 

The next morning I woke up with my arms empty. The sun was trying to sneak its way past my closed eyelids, and I rubbed the tired out of them. When I sat up, I saw the General holding a gun to Moses's head. "Good morning, sunshine!" He laughed. Moses was lying unconscious, and blood dripped from the side of his head.


End file.
